China becomes second nation to successfully land rover on Mars

An uncrewed Chinese spacecraft 'Tianwen-1' successfully landed on the surface of Mars on Saturday (May 15), making China the second space-faring nation after the United States to land on the Red Planet.

 

Picture Credit: PTI

 

The five-tonne spacecraft blasted off from the southern Chinese island of Hainan in July last year, launched by the powerful Long March 5 rocket. After more than six months in transit, Tianwen-1 reached the Red Planet in February where it had been in orbit since.

 

Picture Credit: Twitter (Chinese Zhurong Mars Rover)

Tianwen-1, or "Questions to Heaven", named after a Chinese poem written two millennia ago, is China`s first independent mission to Mars. A probe co-launched with Russia in 2011 failed to leave the Earth`s orbit.

 

Picture Credit: China National Space Administration

The Tianwen-1 spacecraft landed on a site on a vast plain known as Utopia Planitia, "leaving a Chinese footprint on Mars for the first time," Xinhua said. The craft left its parked orbit at about 1700 GMT Friday (May 14). The landing module separated from the orbiter three hours later and entered the Martian atmosphere, the official China Space News said.

 

 

Picture Credit: China National Space Administration

Named after a mythical Chinese god of fire, Zhurong has six scientific instruments including a high-resolution topography camera. The rover is solar-powered and will now survey the landing site before departing from its platform to conduct inspections. 

 

 

Picture Credit: Twitter (Chinese Zhurong Mars Rover)

The rover will study the planet`s surface soil and atmosphere. Zhurong will also look for signs of ancient life, including any sub-surface water and ice, using ground-penetrating radar. If Zhurong is successfully deployed, China would be the first country to orbit, land and release a rover in its maiden mission to Mars.

 

 

Picture Credits: PTI